Study Guide for May 4

Assignment: Marie, "Eliduc," and “The Royal Court” and “The King” (Speed).

1. What is the nature of the relationships between Eliduc and the kings that he serves? Which passages in Speed's chapter on "The King" best suggest the paradigm against which we should judge the actions of Eliduc and of the two kings? What other values and what realities support or undermine these paradigms?
2. What kind of court is maintained by the two kings? Who are members of these courts? How do they behave? Who establishes the kinds of behaviors in these courts? What functions do courts serve according to the selection in Speed's book? What functions does Marie focus on?
3. How does Marie describe and otherwise suggest the nature of Eliduc's marriage to Guildeluec? How is their marriage shaped by custom, by the individual qualities of the two of them, and by circumstances?
4. What does Guilliadun offer Eliduc that Guildeluec does not? What does a relationship with her offer him? How does Eliduc conceptualize his choice between the two women?
5. What are the functions in the story of the tomb? What about the weasels?
6. How does the resolution of the story resolve the issues raised by the story? Is the resolution satisfactory within the terms of the story? Is it satisfactory within the terms of chivalric society? How so or how not?
7. In what ways might "Eliduc" be considered an answer to "Guigemar"?